AI could be set to transform the world of sales

Sales leaders in the UK are expecting AI adoption to grow 112 per cent by 2020.

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Sales teams are increasingly moving into the virtual realm, forced by the market and its trends. There, they are employing the strengths of the newest addition to their arsenal – artificial intelligence.

This is according to a new Salesforce report, entitled State of Sales.

According to the report, sales teams’ use of artificial intelligence is increasing. Sales leaders in the UK are expecting AI adoption to grow 112 per cent by 2020.

Sales roles seem to be pivoting towards virtual interactions with their customers and prospects, as these types of interactions are increasing more than threefold, compared to in-person meetings.

In the UK, sales representatives spend almost half of their time, 45 per cent, meeting with customers and prospects in a virtual environment.

Virtual selling has hit a tipping point, it was stated, with more than four in five businesses (81 per cent) seeing free and open internal flow of customer data across sales, marketing and customer services, important.

“The road maps for the marketplace are changing — customers are now in the driver’s seat of business success and disruption,” the report says.

“As seamless customer experience becomes the North Star for companies across industries, the way businesses operate is fundamentally changing. For sales, this means greater mindshare and control over the business strategy as an increased ownership of the customer experience is needed from every part of the business.”

“Sales departments are now positioned to be the testing grounds for advanced technologies of the future, such as automation and intelligence, to meet customers on their turf. Leading sales teams empower reps with these cutting-edge capabilities to usher in the Age of the Customer.”